This will be my last puppy report for Birdie, who turned 23 months on June 2nd. She has been chosen for the breeding program, so I had to say a fond farewell to her on June 20th.
But in the meantime, we had almost 3 weeks of fun-filled activities, starting off with the “watch” party for PADS 2023 graduation at Okanagan Golf Club – Bear and Quail. We had a room full of people, including delegates from Burnaby, raisers and sitters with their puppies and even a few clients with their PADS service dogs. This brings to light why we do what we do as PADS raisers & sitters, and that is to help raise these super-hero pups that will graduate and be matched with a person with a disability and change their lives for the better. It was so nice to hear the individual stories of all 34 graduates, and of course, we proudly clapped when our 4 Okanagan graduates: PADS Ace, Findlay, Sinclair, Turtle and new breeding female Athena were announced. It was an enjoyable afternoon for all.
Next, we went on a 7-hour epic hike to the top of Enderby Cliffs, where the scenery was spectacular, and the bugs up top were horrendous! Birdie had no problem completing this incredible journey with us two old gals.
A few days later, we went to Foam Fest at Sun Peaks Resort with the family and coupled it with dual van camping in the forest near Adams Lake with our kids, grandson and grandpuppy Jeff.
We went to Powerhouse Theater in Vernon and saw a “homegrown jukebox musical” called This is Me! that celebrates our human diversity and shares a message of acceptance and inclusivity for our 2SLGBTQIA+ community. A great show! There were three well-behaved PADS pups in attendance the night we attended. Birdie settled nicely by our seats near the aisle, and we all enjoyed the music, singing and dancing.
After that, we attended the Salmon Arm Demolition Derby 2.0 at the local fairgrounds. What a great training experience for Birdie with all the smells and large crowds of people. It was quite crowded when we arrived, so we had to squeeze our way in for a better view. We had to wait quite a while for it to start, but when it did, it was quite exciting with the loudspeaker, crowds cheering and loud noises from the cars and trucks smashing into each other! There was also much smoke, tires spinning, and mud being thrown about as the cars jostled for position to hit one another. The object of the game, of course, is to be the last vehicle standing. Birdie wasn’t fazed by all the noise and commotion, and we all had an enjoyable afternoon.
Birdie read weekly with the kids three last times at the local elementary school. The kids truly enjoyed her coming in to read with them and would sometimes fight as to who would get to go next. Some of them crowded around for a group hug and farewell to Birdie on the last day to see her. She really enjoyed the kids and was always calm and collected.
Birdie attended two last PADS puppy classes this month. The first was out in the field at Whitman Park in Kelowna. It’s nice to meet outside in a park at a change of venue, other than our usual indoor location. And a local park has SO many other non-PADS dog distractions and new smells for our pups to contend with. Our second class was back at the church, where we practised shaping with a box and perch pots with another handler’s pup. After class, PADS Toast and Strudel accompanied Birdie on a farewell walk along the shores of Okanagan Lake, where they romped and played in the cool waters.
It was an eventful, and busy first 19 days of June, but on the next day, I had to bid my sweet girl farewell as she was swept away by Heather Cochrane and Krista Beech to the Burnaby campus to begin the next chapter of her life as a PADS breeding female. I wish her all the luck and happiness in producing beautiful puppies in her image that may become life changers for some well-deserving people with disabilities. It’s been a lot of fun raising this sweet girl, and hopefully, I will be getting one of her puppies in a few months!
Submitted by: Chris Buitinga
